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L1_Demolition

Demolition is the process of safely removing unwanted buildings, requiring careful planning and expertise to prevent accidents. Key preliminaries include obtaining statutory notices, conducting building surveys, and securing insurance to mitigate risks. Various demolition methods exist, ranging from hand demolition to explosives, each suited to different building types and conditions.

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3 views

L1_Demolition

Demolition is the process of safely removing unwanted buildings, requiring careful planning and expertise to prevent accidents. Key preliminaries include obtaining statutory notices, conducting building surveys, and securing insurance to mitigate risks. Various demolition methods exist, ranging from hand demolition to explosives, each suited to different building types and conditions.

Uploaded by

mosesshivelenje001
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Demolitions

Is the process of removal of any unwanted buildings either in part or in totality. It is a dangerous and
potentially fatal activity which could easily lead to lose of life and property if not carefully carried out.
It will usually require expertise and experience for successful completion.

Demolition preliminaries
Certain measures have to be put in place before any demolition can commence.
This includes;
➢ Statutory notices
➢ Building survey
➢ Insurance

Statutory notices
It is required by law that whenever extensive demolition is to be carried out several notices and approvals
must be obtained.
i. Local Authority
It is necessary to inform and obtain approval for demolitions of all buildings greater than a single storey.
This is for the purpose of maintaining safety especially to adjacent properties.
It is also required that the L.A be informed about the dumping of the debris that arises from the
demolition.
Depending on the location of the demolition site and the density, generally the L.A may prescribe certain
conditions so as to protect the neighbors from such nuisance as noise and dust.

ii. Service providers


Notices must be put out well in advance to all bodies providing services in and around the site.
This is mainly for;
➢ Safety of personnel on site
➢ Protection of service tracks and
➢ Any conditions that may be required by the service provider.

iii. Adjacent properties


It is also important to inform all neighboring property owners of any intended demolitions giving details
of time and type of demolitions, so as to avoid any misunderstandings once the demolition has
commenced.

Building surveys
The importance of detailed building surveys cannot be overemphasized as it is absolutely necessary to be
well versed with the;
➢ Type of building
➢ The methods of construction used
➢ The type of structure

Typical survey activities include


i. Record of condition
This is the recording of the condition of the building that is to be demolished and any neighboring
buildings usually by means of taking photographs.

ii. Presence of hazardous materials


Any hazardous materials such as; gas cylinders and chemicals should be carefully noted so as to facilitate
the planning of their removal. Any unfamiliar components are also considered hazardous and must be
earmarked for removal.

iii. Services
The positions of all existing services should be clearly mapped out to enable consultation with the
relevant service providers on the best methods of removal, protection or rerouting.

iv. Building components


The survey must include;
➢ Type of structural system
➢ Size of structural members
➢ Presence of underground structures such as basements
➢ A schedule of pre – usable items and
➢ A schedule of re – usable building materials

Insurance
Demolition is a dangerous activity and necessary precaution in terms of finances should also be taken.
This is to cushion against any evitable damages that may arise accidentally during the demolition process.
Insurance cover taken for demolition should be for;
➢ Demolition contractors’ workmen (workmen’s compensation)
➢ Third parties in and around the site (contractors all risks)
➢ Loss and damage both on site and off site (contractors all risks)

Safety during demolition


The very nature of demolitions requires that safety is an important issue so as to reduce the risk of
exposure to injury or loss of life.

The following measures are usually taken to enhance safety

a. Professional expertise
Depending on the complexity, size and location of the building to be demolished, the qualifications and
experience of both the consultants and the site Engineer must be carefully considered.
The more complex the demolition is expected to be then the more qualified and more experienced should
the experts be.
Under no circumstances should any demolition work be left unsupervised.

b. Protective clothing
All workmen on the site should be provided with protective garments and tools such as overalls, boots,
helmets, torches, gas masks etc.

c. First aid center


All demolition sites should have a first aid center and access to quick ambulance services, so that incase
of injuries, quick responses can minimize the damage.

d. Hoarding
This is the construction of a barrier along the plot boundary or around the demolition site that is meant to
keep out any unwanted strangers from the site and also protects any passersby from falling objects.

e. Demolition method
A suitable method of demolishing must be chosen so that the risks of injury is kept at a minimum.
Types of demolitions
There are two main types of demolition;
➢ Takedown demolition
➢ Total demolition

Takedown demolition
Is the partial removal of part of a building as compared to total demolition where the whole building is
brought down.
Takedown demolition is much more delicate than total demolition because parts of the structural systems
shall be left intact and will be expected to carry out their supporting functions successfully in the
remaining part of the building.

Methods of demolitions
Various methods of demolitions are available and the choice of methods to be used will depend on;
➢ Type of structure
➢ Size of structure
➢ Location of building
➢ Space around the building
➢ Availability of technical personnel
➢ Cost and duration of demolition

a. Hand demolition
This is the manual demolition of a building using hand tools such as saws, mallets, compressors etc.
The removed members or debris may however be lifted and taken away from the site by use of
mechanical means.
Small debris may be allowed to fall freely if the height is less than 6m from the ground or from the
nearest plot boundary or if there is adequate protection around these boundaries such as an existing tall
building.
For conditions other than these, a chute must be provided for conveying these debris to the ground level.
This is a relatively safe method but is slow and tedious and therefore may be applicable for small
buildings or buildings in a generally congested area.

b. Pusher Arm Demolition


This is demolition by means of a machine fitted with a pusher arm usually made of steel. It exerts a
horizontal thrust on the building thus causing the components to fail (structural).
The portion of the building extending above the pusher arm must not exceed 6m and in cases where it
does, it must be reduced by hand demolition.
The driver of this machine must be in a robust cab fitted with shutter proof glass. The machine requires a
lot of space to operate usually a minimum of 6m all around the building.
This type of demolition is hazardous but very fast and is only applicable in isolated sites with plenty of
space.

c. Demolition ball
This method uses a heavy ball fitted at the end of a crane by means of a cable or arm that allows a
swinging motion. Demolition is carried out one floor at a time, starting at the top.
It is a relatively easy and convenient method of demolition, suitable for buildings up to 30 storeys high. It
may be carried out with a crane mounted on an adjacent site where the spacing around the building is
limited.
d. Wire rope pulling
This is a method that involves tying individual members with a steel rope and pulling them off the
building. The minimum size of the steel rope is 38mm in dia.
This method is carried out by removing the members one by one but on isolated sites lower members may
be removed fast to cause collapse of the building.
The pulling machine must be a well anchored, heavy vehicle, well protected from tipping over. If collapse
does not take place within 3 pulling thrusts, then this method must be abandoned because the pulling
action has weakened the steel rope.
This method however is cheap and may be well suited for demolition that involves many small buildings.

e. Deliberate collapse demolition


This involves the removal of key structural members so as to cause the building to collapse. It is a very
specialized type usually applicable on isolated sites.

f. Explosives
This is the use of explosives to blast down a building and is only applicable on isolated sites. It is
however fast and very efficient.

g. Other methods of demolition that are highly specialized and usually applicable for Takedown
demolition include,
i. Gas expansion buster
This uses the force involved in sudden expansion of confined liquefied gas.
ii. Hydraulic pressure
This uses the theory of hydraulics to exert localize pressure on components of a building.
iii. Thermal collapse
This is a method usually applicable to steel structures where chemical reactions are used to produce heat
to temperature of about 3500C thus causing the steel to weaken and collapse.

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